b. Update on the status of the new health center

and the Gardi Sugdub diaspora in Panama City to pay for leveling the land. The community has also been supported by Guna architect Calixto Coleman, who has been donating his expertise to the community. During DS’ recent mission to Gunayala we visited the relocation site a couple of days after they started leveling the land and witnessed the advancements in the project. DS’ impression was that the relocation of the Gardi Sugdub community has reached a point of no return - the relocation of Gardi Sugdub is becoming a reality. A community member also commented, “the project is not a dream anymore, it is reality ”12 .

Nevertheless, during our extended conversation at the relocation site, Architect Calixto Coleman was adamant that the community could not do everything and that the Panamanian government needs to help 13. By the time of our visit the measurements of lots were proceeding, but they were beginning with 32 instead of the original number projected by the Ministry of Housing of 65. The lots were planned to be 20X20 meters or 400 square meters. Coleman said that the people rejected the original house design of the Ministry of Housing because they want to maintain their architectural style with traditional materials, such as bamboo and palm “with everything natural, maybe changing the design a little.” There is some question about obtaining the palm fronds used in traditional roofing since they are becoming very scarce. However, although not verified, commercial production of the palm has been undertaken. Nevertheless, the growth cycle for the palm to reach maturity is six years, placing in doubt the availability of the material for the Gardi Sugdub relocation.

Coleman was concerned that “when the architecture is broken (altered) with foreign materials, that’s where the shock is.” The community is planning to participate in the construction of their houses. In his view this is positive because if community members are invested in the process they will take greater care with it due to the economics of the process. He also thinks that there should be green areas in the town. That is, it should not be completely barren because that would reduce the attractiveness of the town, which will be important for the tourism business. The uneven topography of the site must also be dealt with. Architect Coleman is also sensitive to the need for raising awareness of the people to the challenges of the relocation process, such as in the distribution of houses and lots which has yet to be determined. He spoke of the need to have some advice from social scientists with knowledge of the resettlement process, noting that “not everyone has the same mentality, the same attitude and that’s where we have to begin, little by little in order to see how the process of participation turns out.”

b. Update on the status of the new health center:

This is a project funded through a loan from the Inter-American Development Bank. The health center project, like the school project, was initiated without any coordination with other ministries or institutions and particularly without any planning regarding the relocation of Gardi

12 Meeting with members of the neighborhood community. Gardi Sugdub, April 13, 2015. 13 According to Coleman, initially the people of Gardi Sugdub just wanted to come and occupy the site, building their own houses, but he said, “No, just a moment. It’s not time to come here yet. We have to plot the dimensions of the lots.” Conversation with Guna architect Calixto Coleman, Carti, April 15, 2015.